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What is special about a virtual computer-a VM? It's a computer in a file. That's it. It's just a computer stored in a file with similar foibles and management issues as a physical computer. So why do some people invest virtual computers some magical transformative powers? Do they not understand what a virtual computer is?

Flexing its considerable financial muscle in strategic categories, IBM says it "will leverage our cash position to be opportunistic to accelerate our progress" in cloud computing and business analytics, while also reporting a whopping 50% jump in signings for long-term strategic-outsourcing deals in the financial-services sector.

Apparently where there's Tweets, there's fire. Twitter may or may not have a business model (management claims it does), but traditional software vendors are apparently convinced there's money to be made in them thar' streams.

Network and systems management has been a troublesome area for small and medium businesses. While many companies would like to deploy these products and get a clearer picture about their system and network usage, product pricing has often been too high for them to make that switch. Consequently, one successful vendor decided to retool its product line by adding a lower cost option.

When times get tough, it's all too tempting to push security concerns aside. But that's a fool's game. Fortunately, there are ways for small and midsize companies to address security issues without breaking the bank. To learn more, check out the On-Demand version of bMighty bSecure, which brings together business and security experts to show you how to do exactly that.

There is a new account on Twitter that gives you shopping assistance and since Twitter works on your mobile phone, this can be a useful companion when looking for something or when you have a question about a product. You just send @imshopping your question, in 140 characters of course, and it will respond with the information you are looking for.

Today's top tech news for small and midsize businesses: SMBs are looking to increase IT spending and create new jobs in the next six months, Acer on track to surpass Dell as the world's second-largest PC maker, IBM adds social networking to DeveloperWorks Portal for IT professionals, and more. . .

The General Services Administration reached agreements with popular social media networks like Facebook and YouTube to allow agencies to use the service. Previously, elements of the terms of these services blocked the government from using them.

Linux sucks! So says Bryan Lunduke, himself a Linux software developer, at a presentation he gave at Linux Fest Northwest. In truth, it's not a hatchet job -- it's exactly the kind of pointed and forceful Linux criticism we need more of.

Like other CIOs, IBM's Mark Hennessy knows that a dollar saved on data center operations is a dollar earned for business-technology innovation. IBM has moved the dial on its IT budget 10 percentage points toward innovation in recent years, and Hennessy says there are still more operational efficiencies to be gained.

Today Motorola filed its first quarter earnings. Buried within the report was a juicy gem about the company's plans regarding Android devices, which CEO Sanjay Jha said will be available in time for the holidays. (Oh, and handset sales fell a whopping 45%.)

With cash tight the last thing your business needs right now is a lawsuit. But the inevitable collection difficulties that come with a recession increase the likelihood of a business dispute. Here's 5 tips to help your business steer clear of litigation and handle it effectively if it does happen to you.

The world of cloud computing was shocked last week with the release of the McKinsey report on cloud computing, entitled "Clearing the Air on Cloud Computing." As with any of the thought-leadership pieces pushed out around cloud computing, it was quickly picked apart by the pundits.

Sparked by strong revenue growth in services and 500 new customers, Riverbed Technology reported revenue grew 21% in the first quarter to $88.5 million, and that it expects second-quarter revenue to be up by 13%-15% year over year. Emboldened by that success, Riverbed execs also told analysts they're beating Cisco "nine out of 10 times" even as Cisco and others offer discounts of 80% or more.

I'm still waiting for some official word on when Palm's Pre is coming out, but a few items leaked this week that may point to a price. There's also speculation that Palm may cap the stock of the handset when it's released to create a buss. That's right, we may face Wii-like scarcities.

A long list of big brand names are outsourcing customer service to unpaid, voluntary enthusiast users who staff and sometimes manage online company forums. I'm just not getting it, and I thought you might help me out.

Download this report from InformationWeek, in partnership with Dark Reading, to learn more about how today's IT operations teams work with cybersecurity operations, what technologies they are using, and how they communicate and share responsibility--or create risk by failing to do so. Get it now!